Columbia Heights Public Schools

06/13/2026

This week’s Hylander Saturday Staff Spotlight is Ben Hanson, 5th Grade Band Teacher at Valley View Elementary and North Park School for Innovation! Ben has been a Hylander for 18 years! Along with teaching, he is also the Arts Coordinator for the district. He has taught band at Columbia Academy and all three elementary schools, been a music director, pit band director and vocal coach for multiple CHHS and CA musicals in the past, and has taught ENCORE classes. Ben also heads up the CHPS staff band each year at convocation.

Some fun things to know about Ben are that he went to college at St. Olaf and received his BA in Music and went to Concordia St. Paul, where he received his MA in Educational Leadership and Ed. Specialist degree with a K-12 Principal license. Ben also likes to make music and he plays guitar and sings. He has been in a few bands over the years, and often plays music or sings for his church and has also led youth choirs in the past. He also plays his trombone periodically for Minnesota Symphonic Winds when he has time. 🪊 Ben’s favorite hobby is camping with his wife and four kids. They love the North Shore and go agate hunting on various beaches.

“I love that Columbia Heights Public Schools is a smaller school district which allows you to get to know a good portion of the staff and district office people. I have great colleagues and we work hard to support each other. The best part of beginning band is watching the incredible growth students make over the year. I like to show them a video of their first time playing their instrument and we all get a good chuckle from that. They come from literally nothing to being able to perform recognizable music and multi-part band works in just a few short months. I always hope they continue on in CHPS so I can go see their future concerts.” - Ben Hanson

06/12/2026

Round 2 of fun pictures from the CHHS Class of 2026 Graduation Ceremony! Congratulations to our grads! 💙🎓💛

06/11/2026

06/11/2026

Round 1 of some fun pictures from the CHHS
Class of 2026’s Graduation Ceremony yesterday! 💙🎓💛

06/11/2026

The last day of school always contains many hugs, high-fives, smiles, tears and celebrations for all.

Happy summer to all CHPS students, staff, community members and anyone who is a Hylander! 💙💛

06/10/2026

06/08/2026

Columbia Academy held their Spring Band Concert on Thursday, May 28th! The 6th Grade Intermediate Band, the 7th Grade Advanced Gold Band and the 8th Grade Advanced Blue Band performed for families and friends to wrap up the school year. Congratulations to Mr. Boyd and all of his bands on a great end of the year concert! 🎺🥁🎷🪈

06/07/2026

Thank you to everyone who came and participated in our 12th Annual CHPS Powwow last weekend! Last Saturday, our CHPS Native American Parent Advisory Council and Native American Educator, Yolanda Dorr-Slowey, hosted our district’s annual powwow with a Jingle Dress special, the Artishon family Jingle Dress Special, tiny tots dances, a Men’s Traditional vs. Woodlands special, awards of academic achievement for our CHPS Native American students and an Eagle Feather ceremony for our CHHS 2026 Native graduates.

Thank you to our Host Drums Wicahpi Hoksila and Southern Boys, along with seven other guest drums, who led the powwow, our emcees, all of our vendors, our Head Dancers Aza Ochoa Jr. and Micah Lone Elk and all who participated in the powwow!

06/06/2026

This week’s Hylander Saturday Staff Spotlight is Patricia Riera Barbecho, Principal’s Administrative Assistant at Valley View Elementary! Patricia has been a Hylander since 2021. She started at Valley View as the Building Monitor, then became an Education Assistant before joining the front office in 2024.

Some fun things to know about Patricia are that she grew up in Cuenca, Ecuador, and moved to the United States in 2005 with her mom and two sisters. She is bilingual and fluent in both English and Spanish. In 2016, she moved to Fridley, where she lives with her husband, Wilson, their children and their dog, Tobi. Both of their children are Hylanders: JP, a 7th grader at Columbia Academy, and Valentina, a 4th grader at Valley View! As a family, they love traveling and going on vacations together.

“I love Columbia Heights because it is a small community with great diversity of very kind and friendly people. I also can find anything I need close to home. Working at CHPS is a unique experience. I work surrounded by a really supportive staff, where everybody helps each other. I also love getting to know about the different cultures we find in our families and learning about them. For me to be a parent and an employee at the same time helps me to understand the needs of our families and help them in the right way. I really enjoy going to work every day and welcoming students every morning with a big hug or a high five, and witnessing the excitement with which they arrive. I am deeply grateful to be part of the Columbia Heights Public Schools family.” - Patricia Riera Barbecho

06/06/2026

CHHS Concert Bands Day 1 and Day 2 had their final concert of the year on Monday!

Students received recognition for their participation in pep band events by receiving their Varsity letter, CHHS seniors were thanked for their time and dedication to the program, and two awards were given out to students for their time and involvement in the band. Winter Kieffer received the Gilmore Award and Shane Whitley received the John Philip Sousa Award.

Congratulations on a great concert to all of our CHHS Band students! 🎺🥁🎷🪈